Daily Republican., 1887-09-02
FRIDAY, sEPrEMBE ., 1878.
Pernicious koadiaG,

What Q boy or girl roads may shape
the fusure man or woman and therefore
1t beao mes o: the greatest Importance to
both parents and children what 10 legiti.
mate reading. Tnere oan be no deny
ing tbs fast that there 10 too much nov
el reading and this IL mol confined 10
young people, out 10 - much Of temp
tAtiou 20 he aged % to the young. Ii il
IN In s,dious evil that grows and fastens
itself upon lis victims - age increases,
with just - much certainty as the use
OF Intoxicating liquors does. Iadeed
we are not sure that the evil OF novel
reading does not lasd TO Drawing for
the use OF q stlmulsnts. Take
the street boy who makes the sir blue
with profanity, who 10 already IN early
Victim OF in.empersnce, he Ia the dime
novel reader Of the day. He hardly
ever rises to the dignity ofa reader VI
decent fctiou and TO him solid reading
will not even become q bore for he
never proends to read is. The victim
OF novel reading can never be drawn In.
TO On intelligent conversation upon any
susjeo:. The latest novel absorbs his
mind. He hiss no news upon politics,
though he may be IN active worker in
one or the other OF the political parties
OF the day. Hs works early and late
that his party may beat, bu. hs can
give no reason why II should beat. He
can s,sr ,ely even give sn intelligent
account OF the last novel he has read.
Tho novel resier may be member of
church, and he 10 very sure thu. the de.
nontnaVou TO which he belongs IL the
best. spd destined some day to crush
out oil other denominations, but he can
gtva no Intelligent reason why his
church is the best. He Is psrfsc.ly ct
home, however, on the lAtess scandal
and he knows wha. "bully" papers
the sensational prints OF the day are.
He scarcely knows the meaning OF
science. The leading msgs zines OF the
dsy, embody'ng the pest thought OF the
nanon, are sealed books to him. The
history OF nations and the live, of great
men sui women make no appeal TO his
circum scribed, isolated mind. Sketches
OF travel have no charm for him, moth
ing interests him but the novel, the
"yeliow-covered" novel, the novel with
any oo!ored cover, 30 It 10 . novel. The
more scandal It contains the better; the
more highly seasoned with tragic and
blooi, the more exciting. Give him
the novei; hi, nature from Infancy Ia
imhusd with tragic event, that
make ap novels; he cannot live without
the novel. Is the picture TOO highly
drawn? Alas! 1t Is n 0 picture; 1t is q
reality to oe aeen every day.
B1. VINO Is responsible for It? Why
ARE TIE people becoming o nation Of
novel readers? It is to be regretted.
bns one OF the answers Is, because In
thelr early years children are fed intel.
lec.uslly upon dcsion and novel read.
ing 20 d Mother Hubbard" and q
great many other a ,tional mothers pave
the way for 1t, and when boy or girl
is ready to attend Sunday school, the
library rs general thing contains all
the juvenile novels necessary to develop
. trss-o!ass novel reader. IL would be
almos. objectionable, indeed heAthen-
ish, not to have family Bible upon
the pArlor stand, but with the a,ou mu-
lAtion Of dus. the lid OF the Bible too
often becomes writing tablet, while
the la.es. "stunner" from the sunday
school library be,omss thumb-solled
from constant use. 1t Is not our pur.
pose to condemn entirely the reading OF
fiction, but only that trashy, mtsera BILE
stuff that turns boys into outla VS. and
girls Toto psve-nymphs. Many works
OF fc:ton enlarge thought and elevate
character, bu; these are not the abomi.
nabIe, low, degrading, trashy sort
thrown around almost for nothing tina,
only appeal to the worst passions O.
men and actually destroy our youth
before they become men.